Great news for the youth of America: the government, which may very well be run by cheese-loving 12-year-olds, has decided that pizza totally counts as a vegetable. more ›

After giving birth, pretty much every mammal eats their own placenta, so why should we live differently than animals? A growing number of moms are getting back to basics (primarily in Brooklyn, it seems), and professional placenta-preparer Jennifer Mayer is here to help with her company Brooklyn Placenta Services. Read all about it in this week's New York magazine, which features a tantalizing article about the growing "placentophagia movement." A perfect lunchtime read, or save it for after work when you can enjoy it with a "top shelf" Placenta Bloody Mary! And how does it taste? more ›

Well, this isn't going to be good for America's obesity problem (or is it?): Mark Haub, a professor of human nutrition at Kansas State University, put himself on what some are calling the Twinkie Diet or the Convenience Store Diet... and lost 27 pounds in two months. While he did include some vegetables in his diet, every three hours Haub would treat himself to a snack of sugary cereals, Oreos, Hostess products, Doritos, or some other junk food item (Meat Munchkins?)—all to prove that in losing weight, it's counting calories that really matters. more ›

Perhaps that "Healthy Foods Financing Initiative" was more of a personal move for Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, now that she's trying to lose her baby weight. After giving birth 20 months ago, Gillibrand has been dieting her weight off. And, like any good celebrity, she's posted her diet tricks online. more ›

A class-action lawsuit filed by a Brooklyn woman could turn your whole world upside down! Payton McClure, who is described in court papers as a "life-long consumer" of Fruit Roll-Ups, is suing General Mills because she says the packaging on the popular "fruit" snack is misleading. For instance, while you may be under the impression the product is "nutritious," "healthy to consume," "naturally flavored," "low fat," and "a good source of Vitamin C," it turns out Fruit Roll-Ups are not specifically too good for you. more ›

Food personality Rachael Ray and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand are so on the same page! They love hanging out together whenever they can, especially when it involves feeding thousands of NYC public school children, totally awesome grub, or campaigning in Washington for better school nutrition. Ray actually grew up in her BFF's former congressional district in upstate NY, so it's no wonder the two get along so handsomely. more ›

Even though the Bronx has some of the highest obesity rates in the nation, it also has some of the hungriest people, according to recent study. The Times says the seeming contradiction can be explained through a redefinition of the word “hunger.” These days “food insecure” is the term used by researchers to describe low-income people who have high calorie diets with poor nutritional value. “Hunger and obesity are often flip sides to the same malnutrition coin,” said Joel Berg, executive director of the New York City Coalition Against Hunger. But what is the city doing about it? more ›

The nutritional counselor Jared Koch has a few ideas about what makes for a good, nutritious restaurant meal, but the last thing he wants to do is get preachy about it. He wants you to enjoy your food. Together with food writer Alex Van Buren, he’s written a guidebook called Clean Plates NYC, which eschews numerical grading systems, star systems, and riffs on restaurant design in order to just focus on supper. Rather than cast a myopic eye toward the antioxidizing properties of plums, or romancing the red cabbage, Clean Plates aims to identify some of the more nutritious, decent meals to be had in the city for the vegan, locavore, and meat-eater alike. We spoke with Clean Plates NYC founder Jared Koch yesterday; the book is available in stores now. more ›

Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer is releasing a report today that proposes limiting the amount of fast food joints in the city, giving incentives to encourage healthier markets and mandating city agencies to purchase local produce. Stringer said, “Our foodshed is already broken and we need to fix it,” referring to the big picture of how food is brought, bought, sold, cooked and eaten in the city. Stringer thinks the city should give tax and zoning incentives to bring farmers' markets into areas lacking in healthy food outlets. He also called for schools, shelters and other agencies to be required to buy 20 percent of their vegetables and dairy products from sources within a couple hundred miles of the city. One food consultant said that the plan might be a bit unrealistic to the area's farmland geography telling the Times, “It’s a bigger picture than just apples and carrots.” Nutritional initiatives have been on the rise lately with the health-conscious mayor's calorie display requirements and the governor's talk of raising revenue through a "fat tax." more ›

Now that an appeals court has ruled that the city can start requiring chain restaurants to prominently display their calorie information, Nathan’s has begun tossing up their stats just in time for summer at Coney Island. Kinetic Carnival notes that the Nathan’s basic hot dog has just half the calories packed into a Big Mac from McDonald’s. more ›